GOP Is Already Looking Into Plans to Replace Rep. David Rivera

Way to go Miami. We've elected a guy to congress who is so ethically shady that he even makes career D.C. politicians nervous. As the ethics scandal involving freshman Republican Rep. David Rivera grows, GOP leaders are said to be quietly making plans to replace him if need be. In any event, even if he manages to stick around, they don't seem to like the guy much anyway.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating Rivera for failing to disclose more than $130,000 in loans he received from a consulting company co-managed by his mother. That money may have originally come from the Flagler Dog Track.

Rivera's ethics and legal problems have caused problems for a GOP leadership that has pledged zero tolerance for ethics slips. Though, neither Speaker John Boehner of Ohio nor House Majority Leader Eric Cantor have yet to comment publicly on Rivera's problems.

Now, Politico reports that the GOP is weighting plans to replace Rivera should he be forced to resign or otherwise get kicked out of his seat.

In addition, there is anger and frustration at Rivera in GOP leadership circles. Rivera is described by Republicans as being "less than candid" or "not forthcoming" about his ethics problems in conversations with leadership aides and campaign operatives, and they have been surprised on several occasions as new allegations surface.

...

"Florida has some shady characters, and it leads the nation in corruption, one of the few things we're known for," said a Sunshine State Democratic strategist. "I'd be shocked if he even lasts through the end of this term."

Apparently, the national GOP is already preparing for that possibility, and it wouldn't be too sad to see Rivera go.